Container and blank therefor



June 15', 1965 c. D. FALLER-r CONTAINER AND BLANK THEREFOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 2l, 1963 JNVENTOIL Z/FFORD D. /LLLBPT c. D. FALLERT CONTAINER AND BLANK THEREFOR l June 15, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 V Filed June 21', 1965 INVENTOR. Z/FFORD @MIE/27' United States Patent O 3,189,249 CUNTAINER AND BLANK THEREFQR Clitford D. Fallert, St. lLouis, Mo., assigner to Crown Zellerbach Corporation, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of Nevada Filed June 21, 1963, Ser. No. 296,255 6 Claims. (Cl. 2294-37) This invention relates to a container formed from a foldable blank, and more particularly to a corrugated breboard container having a reinforced construction adapted to heavy duty usage. The invention is an improvement of copending application Serial No. 98,638, filed March 27, 1961, now Patent No. 3,114,494.

As described in the copending application, a very common and useful style of breboard carton construction is the slotted carton style formed from a foldable blank and including vertical walls foldably connected together along their side edges and having top and bottom closure liaps foldably connected to the respective vertical walls. However, the usual slotted carton construction is obviously inadequate for certain purposes as there are openings between the abutting edges of the closure flaps which permits possibile leakage of the container contents such as nails and other small loosely packed items placed in such containers. Additionally, the slotted carton type of construction must often be reinforced to provide required stacking and handling characteristics when the contents to be placed therein are of substantial weights or of a nature that they might penetrate or otherwise injure the walls of the carton or the end closures thereof.

The prior application discloses an improved slotted carton type construction having double thickness bottom closure flaps and vertical walls wherein the interior ply of the double thickness is integrally connected to the end edges of the bottom closure flaps and wherein sealing tabsr were struck from alternate plies at the end edges of an opposed pair of bottom closure iiaps and disposed in overlapping relation to the respective opposed flap and in the aligned void. By this means a heavy duty container was provided with reinforced walls, bottom closure aps and flap scores and further the integral sealing tabs insured effective retention of the container contents such as nails. However, while this prior construction proved its ethcacy for the packaging of nails and other heavy items, it afforded some diiiculty iu that the double ply construction afforded undue tension in the folding of the double thickness closure iiaps which hindered the carton setup and closure operation and the securement of said flaps.

. The present invention, while retaining the advantages of the prior carton construction, has effectively eliminated `the undue stresses and tension afforded by the double ply slotted carton type construction. This is accomplished by means affording relief at the integral connection of the plies at the end edges of the bottom closure flaps whereby the inner and outer ply of the closure liaps are in slidable relation one to another because of a compensating movement of the said integral connection. Further the improvement is gained through an offsetting of the liap scores constituting the hinge connections between the double thickness closure ilaps of the respective vertical wall panels and between the inner and outer ply hinge connections of each closure flap.

Thus, with reference to the drawings, there is herein disclosed a heavy duty carton formed from a foldable blank which is erectable to a container condition by forming the vertical walls into tubular relation about their vertical corner hinge connections and infolding the top and bottom closure flaps about the hinge connections to the top and bottom edges of the walls; the container Patented .lune l5, 1965 ICC being of double ply thickness throughout at least the bottom closure aps, vertical walls and. hinge connections therebetween with the inner ply being integrally connected to the outer ply at the end edges of the respective flaps by means aording sliding movement between the inner and outer plies of each such double ply flap to relieve tension of the flap hinge connections to the vertical walls.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a slotted carton type of construction which is adapted to the usual handling and setup equipment and yet includes therein reinforcing and sealing features.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container of a slotted carton type construction with integral reinforcing and sealing features which is of simple and economical construction.

, Still a further object is to provide a. carton of the described characteristic which avoids undue stress on the container parts and flap and wall hinge connections to y facilitate erection and closure of the container.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon a full and complete understanding of the construction, and operation of the invention by reference to the accompanying drawings and detailed description, in which are set forth an illustrative embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan View of a blank for forming the container;

FIGURE 2 is the first stage of the assembly of the blank shown in FIGURE 1 showing the liner portion folded atwise against the container portion of the blank;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a container formed from the blank of FIGURE 2 erected to tubular relation and inverted; i

FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view through lines 4-4 of FIGURE 3 showing `the securement of the adjacent side edges of the blank;

FIGURE 5 is a cross section through lines 5--5 of FIGURE 3 showing the integral connection at the end edges of the inner and outer plies of a side bottom closure flap preparatory to infolding;

FIGURE 6 is a cross section through lines 66 of FIGURE 3 showing an end bottom closure flap preparatory to folding;

FIGURE 7 is atperspective View of an intermediate stage of assembly of the carton showing the end wall bottom iiaps in infolded relation;

FIGURE S is a cross section through lines 3 8 of FIG- URE 7;

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of the container with the bottom closure completed by the infolding of the outer pair of closure flaps;

FIGURE l0 is a cross sectional view along lines lil-it of FIGURE 9.

Referring in detail to the drawings wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the generally rectangular blank 2li from which the container is formed is shown in FIGURE l, wherein cut edges are shown as solid lines and lines of scoring or hinge connections are shown as intermittent lines. For purposes of description, the blank` is described in terms applicable to the setup container and is divided along line A-A into a body sectiontdenoted B and liner section denoted L. The body section B includes end wall panels 21-22 and side wall panels 231-24 which are arranged in side by side relation and foldably joined by hinge connections 2:51`

arcanes the corner connecting flap 2B. rfhe wall panels 21g-24 are further provided with a top edge 29 determined by a flap score which serves as the fold connection of the top end flaps 3d and top side flaps 31. The top flaps :ttl-3i are provided with free side edges 32 determined by the blank edges and by slits 33. The slits 33 are offset from the lineV of the hinge connections 25 to afford clearance for the infolding of the end flaps 3ft in the final closure of the erected' container. Also the top side Traps 3l have free end edges 35 which are foreshortened in relation to the end flap end edges 36 in respect to the spacing from the iap scores 29.

The end wail panels 21-22 have bottom edges 357 determined by aligned flap score lines serving as the fold connection to end wall bottom flaps .38. The side wall 23-24 bottom edges 39 are determined by aligned ap score lines which serve as the fold connection of side wall bottom flaps 4t). The flap scores constituting the bottom edges 37 and 39 are in oifset relation whereby the end wall bottom edges 37 are spaced upwardly from the side wall bottom edges 39.

The adjacent side edges 4l of the bottom flaps are determined and separated by slots 42. Said slots 42 are disposed with one edge thereof substantially in alignment with the Wall panel hinge connections 25 and the slots are struck substantially from the end wall bottom aps 3S and the respective adjacent liner flaps hereinafter described. The end edges of the end wall bottom iiaps 33 are determined by spaced apart parallel double lines of scoring 43. Said double scores 43 are interrupted by cut edges 4S so that said double scores 44 extend only a minor portion of the widths of the end flaps 3S. The cut edges 45 have a substantially IJ-shaped conformation determin ing a sealing tab 46.

The Vfree end edges 47 of the side wall bottom flaps 4@ are determined by a slit in alignment with the remote or lower one of the double scores 44. The slit 47 is interrupted by connecting webs 4t; which are determined by double lines of scoring and free side edges Sti, with the lines of scoring, in alignment with the beforementioned double scores 43.

Continuing with FIGURE l, the liner section L of the blank Ztl includes end wall liner panels 51-52 and side wall liner panels 53-54. Said liner 4panels Slt-54 are determined in part by a top edge 55 and end wall liner panel 51 side edge 56 and side wall liner panel 54 side edge 57. Said wall liner panels Sfr-54 are arranged in side by side relation in ffoldable relation along hinged corner connections Sd. The hinge connections 58 are in alignment with body section wall panels 23-24 hinge connections 25.

The end wall liner panels Sl-SZ have bottom edges 59 in offset relation to the side wall liner panels 53-54 bottom edges 6@ in the same manner as described in reference to the body section wall panel bottom edges 37-39 and as shown in the drawings.

Liner flaps 61 are oldably connected to the bottom edges S9 and liner ilaps 62 are foldably connected to the bottom edges et?. The adjacent edges of the liner aps 651-62 are determined and separated by extensions of the beforementioned slots 42. The double scores 43 determine the end edges of the liner flaps 61 in conjunction with the cut edges 4S. It is to be noted that the U-shaped cut edges 45 are oppositely directed in the respective pairs of end wall bottom aps 3S and liner flaps 6I, so that the sealing tabs 46 are struck from a liner flap 6l in one instance and is an extension of the liner flap 61 in the other instance being struck from the end wall bottom flap 3S. The end edges 64 of the liner flaps 62 are determined by the slits 47 and the double scores 48. It is important to note from the foregoing that the end edges of the body section bottom flaps 38 and 40 and the end edges of the liner flaps ell-62 are integrally foldably connected by double scores 43 and 48 which constitute connecting webs to provide a flexible connection therebetween affording specific characteristics and advantages which will be recited hereinafter. Further, the double scores 4.3 and 4S are disposed in alignment with each other and in closer proximity to the body section B flap scores 37 and 39 than to the liner section L flap scores 59-60. The difference being approximately the thickness of the board from which the blank 2t) is formed, which in the case of conventional B--ilute corrugated board is on the order of oneeighth inch. Thus the end wall liner flaps 61 are of greater length than their respective connected end wall bottom flaps without regard to the sealing tabs. This is best shown in FIGURE 6 wherein the distance in the bottom end flap 38 from the flap score 37 to the adjacent one of the double scores 43 is less than the distance between ilap score 59 of the liner ply to the adjacent double score 43.

In the case of the side wall bottom flaps 4@ and their respective paired liner flap 62, as shown in cross-section FIGURE 5, the cut edge 47 is in alignment with the remote one of the double scores 48 as regards the side wall bottom flaps 40, this i'lap 4t) constituting the outer ply is thus of greater length than the corresponding liner flap 62 throughout the major part of the flap width as shown in FIGURE 5, although the flap score 39 and 60 to end edge double score 4S distance relationship is the same as in the beforementioned end aps.

After the container blank 2t? is cut and scored as described above, the first step in the assembly of the container involved the folding of the liner section L into flatwise relation with the blank body section B, as shown in FIGURE 2. It is to be noted that the liner wall panels -54 substantially correspond in extent to the respective paired side and end wall panels 23 and 24 and the liner flaps 61-62 likewise correspond to their respective paired side and end wall bottom flaps 38 and 40 subject to the before-mentioned offset scoring. For maximum strength characteristics of the resulting container, the liner panels 51-54 are adhesively secured to the side and end wall panels 23-24 but the bottom flaps 38 and 4@ and attendant liner flaps 61-62 are not secured and are therefore in slidable relation to each other as will be brought out hereinafter in greater detail.

A further step in the assembly of the container is shown in FIGURE 3 wherein the blank is erected to tubular wall formation with the corner connecting flapZS secured to the end wall panel 21 free side edge 26. In this view the container is inverted to clearly show the detail of the double ply thickness bottom closure flaps comprised of the bottom flaps 38 and 40 and their respective liner aps 61-62 It is to be noted that the end wall bottom flaps 38 With their liner flaps 61 are reduced in width to permit infolding between the side wall bottom flaps 40 and liner flaps 62 by reason of the beforementioned offsetting of the slots d2 which determine the bottom Hap side edges 41. Additionally, the proportions of the blank is such that the end wall 2li and related flaps and liner panels are reduced in Width so that the side edges thereof 26 and 56 are adapted to disposition within the side wall panel 24 and liner panel 54 as best shown in the cross-sectional view in FIGURE 4. This dimensional relationship in conjunction with the offsetting of the free side edge 57 from the corner score 27 tends to relieve tension at the so-called manufacturers joint or connection of the corner connecting iiap 28 to the remote blank edge 26.

The cross-sectional views in FIGURES 5 and 6 taken through the connecting Webs of the side and end wall bottom flaps in vertically extended position assist in the understanding of the effect of the slidable arrangement of the respective closure flaps and attendant liner flaps in connection with the flexible web connections and offset ap scores. For example, in FIGURE 5 the connecting web 48 is disposed in substantially right angular relation to the closure flap 40 and liner flap 62 whereas the scores 39 and et? determining the fold connections to the bottom edges of the wall panel 23 and liner panel 53 are in olfangular disposition and the hinge connections 37 and 59 to the respective wall panels 2l and 51 are in offset relation. The effect of this arrangement of parts is shown in FIGURES 7, 8 and 9 wherein, as shown in FIGURE 8, the web connections 43 are angularly disposed due to the slidable movement of the end wall closure flap 38 and liner flap 61 relative to each other. By this means there is gained a flexibility of these double ply closure flaps even though each ply is integrally foldably connected to the bottom edges of the respective wall panel and wall liner panel. Looking more particularly to FIGURE 7, there is shown a stage in the completion of the bottom closure of the container wherein the end wall flaps 3S and liner liaps 61 are inturned to form the inner bottom clos- -ure wherein the sealing tabs extending alternately from the end wall bottom closure ap 3S and the opposed flap liner flap 61 are each disposed in the void defined by the opposed iap cut edge 45 to provide an overlapping and sealing engagement between these flaps.

Finally, as shown in FIGURE 9, the side wall bottom flaps 49 and their respective liner flaps are infolded in container closing relationship. Note that the end edges 47 of the ends of the side wall bottom flaps 40 are in substantially abutting relation to provide an effective seal in conjunction with the inner bottom closure and sealing tabs to prevent possible leakage of such articles as nails or the like which may be loosely and randomly packed in a container. Due to this desirable condition it is necessary that commercial embodiments of the invention be of a rectangular conformation as the relative lengths of the side wall and end wall closure flaps is necessarily different due to the offsetting of the respective wall panels as previously evidenced by the disclosures and descriptions in relation to FIGURES 1, 5 and 6. Nevertheless this necessity of rectangular conformation of the container is minimized by the disposition of the cut edge 47 determining the ends of the side wall bottom flaps 40 in that the blank portions in alignment with the double score connecting webs 48 is included in the length of the said side flap 40. It is to be noted that the flexible connections comprised of the double score connecting webs 48 become extended in acute angular relation to the body section and liner section flaps 40 to accommodate the extra length of the liner fiap 62 in comparison to the container flap 4G as previously described.

FIGURE is a cross-section through line lil-10y of FIGURE 9 in inverted condition to disclose the upright condition of the container. In this view the liner section L side wall panels 53-54 are shown in liatwise relation with their corresponding paired body section side wall liner panels 23-24. Further, this view shows the end wall bottom flaps 3S and 61 disposed interiorly of the side wall bottom flaps 40 and 62 to form the inner closure with the side edges 41 of the inner bottom closure disposed intervening the interior surfaces of the side wall liner panels 5.3-54 due to the vertical inward offsetting of the fold connections 37 to the end wall bottom edges as particularly disclosed in FIGURES 1 and 2. This vertical offsetting of the fold connections of the flaps to the bottom edges of the wall panels permits the fiatwise parallel disposition of these double ply thickness inner and outer closure fiaps which relieves the stress on the flap fold connections 37, 39, 59 and 60l in addition to the hereinbefore described flexible connections between the inner and outer dissimilar length plies of each flap.

It is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention herein described are illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention may be susceptible to embodiment in other modified forms, and that all such modifications which are similar to or equivalent hereto come equally within the scope of the claims next appearing.

`In the claims:

`1. A container having foldably connected wall panels and closure flaps on one end thereof formed from` a foldable blank comprised of a body section and a liner i section folded in mutual flatwise contacting relationship with body and liner sections in contacting engagement with wall panels, closure flaps and fold connections there` between of double ply thickness, `the container having body section wall panels lfoldably connected in rectangular tubular formation :and closure diaps 'with fold connections to one end ofthe said wall panels, the closure fiaps comprising an opposed pair of inner closure flaps and an opposed pair of outer closure flaps, the fold connections of the inner closure iiaps being vertically oiiset from the outer bottom closure fold connections., the liner section having corresponding foldably connected wall panels and closure iiaps disposed interiorly and in fiatwise contacting relation to the respective paired wall section panels and flaps, Ithe respective fold connections between the liner section wall panels and closure fla-ps being offset from the corresponding body section folds vertically inwardly from the end of the container to relieve fold tension in infolded relationship, connecting webs each determined by parallel lines of `scoring and free side edges, slit edges extending between the webs and dening free end edges of the flaps,

the connecting webs each being in closer proximity to p the body section flap. fold connections than to the liner section flap fold connections and the liner section flaps being of greater length than the body section fiaps, the connecting webs providing a slidable relation between each respective paired wall section and liner section closure flap upon the folding movement of said flaps between an open position and a closure `position in perpendicular relation to the wall panels compensating for the differential in length between said respective flaps, whereby the double ply thickness of the fold connections between each of the wall panels and flaps is relieved of stress consequent to the folding thereof.

2. A container as set forth in claim 1 wherein the flexible connections extend a minor portion of the width of the flaps, the major portion of the ends 'of the flaps being determined by said slit edges.

3. A unitary foldable blank for a double ply thickness container comprising a body section and a liner section folded into fiatwise contacting relationship providing wall panels, closure flaps and fold connections therebetween of double ply thickness, each such section having corresponding paired wall panels and closure flaps, the wall panels of the sections being arranged respectively in side by side foldably connected relation with bottom edges thereof defined by lines of fold connections in alternating offset relation, closure flaps connected respectively to each such wall panel at said fold connections with flap end edges opposite thereto, the respective paired wall panels and fiaps of the sections being in aligned flatwise contacting relation with the end edges of the paired fiaps flexibly connected by fold lines together in slidable relation, said exible connections comprising connecting webs each deter-mined by parallel lines of scoring with free side edges and slit edges extending between the ends of said lines of scoring and defining the free ends of said flaps, said free ends being in offset relation with the flexible connection fold lines, the connecting webs being in closer proximity to the body section flap fold connections than to the liner section flap fold connections and in mutually aligned relationship, the liner flaps being of greater length than the respective paired body section flaps in respect to the distance between the fold connection to the wall panels and said flexible connections.

4. A unitary foldable blank as in claim 3 wherein the -bottom edges of the wall panels of each section are in alternating vertical offset relation.

5. A unitary foldable blank as in claim 3 wherein the exible connections extend a minor portion of the width References Cited bythe Examiner of the flaps, the major portion of the ends of the flaps UNITED STATES PATENTS being detefmiled by wedges' 1771760 7/30 MacLeuan 229-6 `6. contamer as set forth 1n claim 1 .wherein sald r 210432119 6/36 Robinson 229 87 ap slit edges 1n atleast one opposed palr of closure 0 2,619,276 11/52 Gibbons 229 14 X aps are disposed in alignment with the remote one of 2,843,308 7 /58 Paige 229 37 the connecting web parallel lines of scoring in respect to 3,027,060 3 /62 Bedey 229 37 X the body section closure flaps to provide a substantially 3,062,426 11/62 Mason 229-14 abutting relation betfween said flap edges in the infolded l0 3,114,494 12/ 63 Wasyluka 229-37 closure position thereof. GEORGE O. RALSTON, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CONTAINER HAVING FOLDABLY CONNECTED WALL PANELS AND CLOSURE FLAPS ON ONE END THEREOF FORMED FROM A FOLDABLE BLANK COMPRISED OF A B ODH SECTION AND A LINER SECTION FOLDED IN MUTUAL FLATWISE CONTACTING RELATIONSHIP WITH BODY AND LINER SECTIONS IN CONTACTING ENGAGEMENT WITH WALL PANELS, CLOSURE FLAPS AND FOLD CONNECTIONS THEREBETWEEN THE DOUBLE PLY THICKNESS, THE CONTAINER HAVING BODY SECTION WALL PANELS FOLDABLY CONNECTED IN RECTANGULAR TUBULAR FORMATION AND CLOSURE FLAPS WITH FOLD CONNECTIONS TO ONE END OF THE SAID WALL PANELS, THE CLOSURE FLAPS COMPRISING AN OPPOSED PAIR OF INNER CLOSURE FLAPS AND AN OPPOSED PAIR OF OUTER CLOSURE FLAPS, THE FOLD CONNECTIONS OF THE INNER CLOSURE FLAPS BEING VERTICALLY OFFSET FROM THE OUTER BOTTOM CLOSURE FOLD CONNECTIONS, THE LINER SECTION HAVING CORRESPONDING FOLDABLY CONNECTION WALL PANELS AND CLOSURE FLAPS DISPOSED INTERIORLY AND IN FLATWISE CONTACTING RELATION TO THE RESPECTIVE PAIRED WALL SECTION PANELS AND FLAPS, THE RESPECTIVE FOLD CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE LINER SECTION WALL PANELS AND CLOSURE FLAPS BEING OFFSET FROM THE CORRESPONDING BODY SECTION FOLDS VERTICALLY INWARDLY FROM THE END OF THE CONTAINER TO RELIEVE FOLD TENSION IN INFOLDED RELATIONSHIP, CONNECTING WEBS EACH DETERMINED BY PARALLEL LINES OF SCORING AND FREE SIDE EDGES, SLIT EDGES EXTENDING BETWEEN THE WEBS AND DEFINING FREE END EDGES OF THE FLAPS, THE CONNECTING WEBS EACH BEING IN CLOSER PROXIMITY TO THE BODY SECTION FLAP FOLD CONNECTIONS THAN TO THE LINER SECTION FLAP FOLD CONNECTIONS AND THE LINER SECTION FLAPS BEING OF GREATER LENGTH THAN THE BODY SECTION FLAPS, THE CONNECTING WEBS PROVIDING A SLIDABLE RELATION BETWEEN EACH RESPECTIVE PAIRED WALL SECTION AND LINER SECTION CLOSURE FLAP UPON THE FOLDING MOVEMENT OF SAID FLAPS BETWEEN AN OPEN POSITION AND A CLOSURE POSITION IN PERPENDICULAR RELATION TO THE WALL PANELS COMPENSATING FOR THE DIFFERENTIAL IN LENGTH BETWEEN SAID RESPECTIVE FLAPS, WHEREBY THE DOUBLE PLY THICKNESS OF THE FOLD CONNECTIONS BETWEEN EACH OF THE WALL PANELS AND FLAPS IS RELIEVED OF STRESS CONSEQUENT TO THE FOLDING THEREOF. 